


The Arc of Ascension, Edda 12: The Crucible

by bzarcher, solarbird



Series: Of Gods and Monsters [60]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Background Femslash, Background Relationships, Divided Loyalties, Espionage, F/F, Fear, Flowers, Medical Jargon, Negotiations, Other, Politics, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Post-Talon, Post-Talon Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix, Power Dynamics, Reunions, Secrets, Talon Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Talon Emily (Overwatch), Talon Hana "D.Va" Song, Talon Lena "Tracer" Oxton, Trans Female Character, Trans Sombra (Overwatch), Weird Biology, prejudices, workouts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-28 09:14:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16238612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bzarcher/pseuds/bzarcher, https://archiveofourown.org/users/solarbird/pseuds/solarbird
Summary: The new gods have risen, ready to grapple with a world of heroes. Moira O'Deorain herself has been reborn, now made one of the creations her previous self meant to rule, and she works with her wife - the goddess Mercy - and their ensemble of new deities to remake the world, toimproveit... for everyone.As the war in Siberia escalates, the Concordat begins the first stage of their plans to assist the Russian people against the Omnium. But as the temperature rises on all sides, what will rise to the challenge - and what will, inevitably, be burned away?Of Gods and Monsters: The Arc of Ascensionis a continuance ofOf Gods and Monsters: The Arc of CreationandThe Armourer and the Living Weapon. It will be told in a series of eddas, sagas, interludes, fragments, texts, and cantos, all of which serve their individual purposes. To follow it as it appears,please subscribe to the series.





	1. The Oligarch and the Sergeant Major

> In the beginning...
> 
> ...say the oldest myths of the Rus...
> 
> ...there was nothing.
> 
> But into that void appeared a golden egg, bright, and new. And inside that egg lay _Rod_ , the divine force of creation, and that force strained, stretched, and fought, until cracks appeared, and the egg broke, shattered, light cascading across the void like bright buttermilk.
> 
> And from that light came Svarog, and Lada, and Svarog's shadow Crnobog. And the dust remaining from the top of the shattered shell formed the world-tree, with the land of the gods at its heights, and from the bottom of the egg, the earth and sea formed, along with all its living things.
> 
> But the new gods, too, were pure force, without form, and so, to interact with this new world, they created more gods, avatars of themselves, and others, through which they acted in the world, such as Morana, daughter of Svarog and Lada, the cold, the goddess of winter and death; and her opposite Vesna, the many, the plural goddess of spring and rebirth; and Perun, god of lighting and the sky, and his opposite, Veles, the god of the earth, the waters, and the underworld.
> 
> And so began the fundamental cycle of the world. When there is dark, there will be light. When there is cold, there will be warmth. When things are bad, they will get better.
> 
> But all things turn. When there is light, there will be dark. When there is warmth, there will be cold. And when things have been going well... that is when they will go very, very badly, indeed.

Aleksandra Zaryanova looked around the office as she was escorted in. Little seemed to have changed since her last visit, but there was something in the air.

Things were changing. 

The presence of an outsider, along with the military and political leadership represented around the glass topped desk, was proof enough of that. 

Katya Volskaya was still the same, though, or at least she was attempting to appear so, her voice cool as the armour plate that covered her Svyatogors, her bearing as precise as the machine tools that worked tirelessly beneath them. 

“It is good to see you again, Sergeant Major. How is the front?”

Aleksandra shook her head. “The front is the front, Madame President. We will not willingly take a step back, but the battle grows more difficult every time the omnium sends out new machines to challenge us.”

She left the fact that she would be of more use _there_ than called back to this meeting unspoken, but the looks from around the table made it clear it wasn’t missed. 

To her surprise, Katya’s lips turned up in just the hint of a smile. “And what if I told you the war could be over in a matter of months?” 

She blinked, not quite sure she had heard that correctly. When she was certain she had, Aleksandra looked to the others, taking in their grave expressions before looking back to Katya. “Then I would ask if the vodka you have been drinking was cut with gasoline.”

That got a warm laugh from the assembled army officers, and even the woman Aleksandra didn’t recognize seemed to give a little chuckle. 

“It is no pipe dream, Aleksandra Yevgenova.” Katya tapped a key on her desk, and displays sprang to life. “Are you familiar with Oasis?” 

“I know where it is,” Aleksandra said carefully, “but I am no academian.” 

She knew more than that - a great deal more, really - but the last time she had stood in this office Katya had lied to her about many things. Aleksandra thought it only fair to return the favor.

A weedy looking man in a Major’s uniform spoke up. “They have recently been expanding their influence through military and less conventional means. Most notably, they assisted the Korean government in shutting down the Omnium in the South China Sea.”

“And now they are proposing to... assist us?” Aleksandra frowned. That could mean many things, and few of them struck her as good.

“Just so.” Katya touched one of the displays, bringing up a map of the barren swath of tundra that now surrounded the Omnium, the central dome rising above the snow like a technological pustule. “It’s a very simple plan. Deceptively so, really.” 

The map pulled out, showing the armies that maintained the cordon around the machines that had devastated so much of their country. 

“The first phase of their plan will be a diversionary attack to draw out the omnium’s defenders, using our own forces and the ‘Weapons’ that Oasis has promised. Their secondary objective,” Katya continued as several structures were highlighted in blue, “will be to disable or destroy these air defense batteries, to facilitate the next phase.”

The map disappeared, replaced by a graphic of the skies above the battlefield, and a transport flying overhead. 

“The second phase involves inserting a stealth team onto the omnium’s dome via a suborbital drop.” A purple shaded dot fell from the transport, and arced through the simulated flak before turning translucent, finally settling onto the top of the dome. “Once they have reached the dome, the Oasis…” Katya paused, and Aleksandra knew exactly who would be dropped in from the look of distaste on her face. “The ‘operative’ will be placing specialized teleportation beacons around the levels containing the facility’s core AI hardware, while her partner will protect her from any unanticipated security measures or defense units.”

Aleksandra’s stomach clenched. She knew _exactly_ who that partner would be. “Even with stealth technology, that is a suicide mission.” 

“Ordinarily,” Katya said calmly, “I would agree. But there is something you do not know.” She closed the display, and pulled up another video. “This is footage recorded from the attack on the South China Sea dome.” 

It was clearly gun camera footage - the type of video that she was used to seeing when she’d occasionally checked out Hana’s streams on the occasions they worked together, using Hana’s footage to help look at her own performance. 

Even from the front, she’d heard that Hana was involved in the Korean army’s victory against the omnium, but Aleksandra hadn’t been able to look into more. 

What she was seeing now made it clear that Hana was more than ‘involved’ - Hana had _been_ the army that had smashed through the deferences, at times snapping and pivoting around to intercept fire or destroy drones faster than the eye could easily follow. 

_It’s not possible. No one can be so fast. No one!_ She blinked. "How did you get this footage?"

"It was provided by Oasis, as evidence of their capabilities. It was not sped up, or altered - and it matches video acquired from Korea, by our intelligence services.” Katya had clearly picked up on her disbelief. “It seems that Oasis has developed several methods for ‘enhancing’ their elite troops. The pilot who recorded this video was ‘upgraded’ to ensure she would be able to help defeat the machines. The ‘weapons’ who will be provided to us have all been given similar treatments.” 

Aleksandra’s lip twisted, and she didn’t bother to hide her distaste. “Tricks. Toys. We have no need of such things.” 

“They are very _effective_ toys.” Katya closed the footage taken by Hana, and brought up footage from another source. “This was recorded in Bulunsky, just over a year ago.”

Aleksandra steeled herself. Bulunsky was deep inside omnic territory, but stubborn farmers and fools still tried to eke out a living, sometimes even reoccupying villages or outposts in hopes of rebuilding despite not having any support. 

When footage surfaced from such places, it often came in the form of massacres.

The video that had begun to play _was_ a scene of carnage, but nothing like what Aleksandra had expected. 

Tracer - _Lena_ \- snapping around the battlefield against a swarm of NT-5s and similar units, somehow even faster than Aleksandra recalled. Another woman, blue, but not Widowmaker, appearing in bursts of smoke, destroying machines with precise bursts of fire, then disappearing again. 

_The rumoured 'Oilliphéist,' perhaps._

A woman tossing a luminous sphere towards them - almost certainly O’Deorain - and one of the OR-14s supporting the attack falling backwards, head snapping back from the impact of a sniper’s bullet. 

It took _seconds_ for them to annihilate a small army of omnics who had outnumbered them by at least ten to one.

The women withdrew, leaving nothing but smoking metal in their wake as the video came to an end. 

“How…” Aleksandra coughed, trying to lubricate her suddenly dry throat. “How did you get _this_ footage?” 

“A reconnaissance flight picked up the presence of the destroyed machines,” Katya answered. “An investigation team found part of the outpost still online, and pulled this from one of the external security cameras.” She closed the window, then turned her attention back to her guest. “We believe this was the first official ‘test’ of these weapons... and reports indicate they have only become more dangerous as their creator has found ways to improve them.”

“...and you would have me _become_ one of them?” 

“For our country? For our people?” Katya stared at her, eyes filled with purpose. “ _Yes._ If it means ending this threat - so my daughter will never have to live in fear of a machine again? I would ask you this a thousand times.” 

Aleksandra closed her eyes and looked away. Even if she no longer trusted Katya the way she once had, she knew the industrialist was telling the absolute truth. No sacrifice was too great to ensure the future of their country, and no act too vile. 

_Perhaps that is why she agreed to work with omnics to begin with._

She had given up so much for her country. Her career, her competition, her lifelong dreams... and now she would be asked to give up her humanity. Perhaps even her _life._

“We intend to insist that you be made part of the stealth team.” Katya picked up the briefing again, as she confirmed the sergeant's suspicions. “With Oasis providing their enhancements, and your own skills and gifts, we believe you would be able to protect their operative until she finishes her work - and have the best chance for survival.”

“And if you are wrong?”

“Then you will be buried with all honors, as a Hero of Russia,” Katya promised, “and if you succeed - even should you fall, achieving that victory - I will ensure you will be remembered by our people as the woman who gave everything so our motherland would live.”

Aleksandra turned and opened her eyes, looking at her shadowy reflection in the dark glass of the desk. _So._

She _had_ given up everything for her country before. Truly, her decision had been made that day. This was hesitation, but her _resolve_... that was unchanged.

“Very well,” Aleksandra drew herself up, and delivered a parade ground salute. “I accept.”

Katya sighed, the relief obvious in the fall of her shoulders. “Excellent.” She straightened up, and opened one final display. 

“Now - let us brief you on the final phase of _our_ plan…”


	2. Are you always like this, now?

"Zarya!" Lena shouted, one syllable in one place, one syllable in another, as she ran, teleporting, up to the large Russian woman, hugging her tightly as she stepped down with her aide onto the landing pad atop the Ministry of Genetics building in Oasis. "Everyone's coming back, I've missed you all so much, everyone's coming back, I'm _so happy!_ "

"Uh!" said the Sergeant-Major, surprised at the force behind the hug. She picked up the smaller woman by the back of her bomber jacket, and lifted her to face height. "Hello, Lena! It has been a while. Are you always like this, now?"

Lena laughed and laughed, copper eyes flashing, before teleporting out of Zarya's hand and back onto the ground. "Nah, luv, I'm just excited. Ah, I can't wait for you to meet everybody again!"

"Please forgive my daughter's enthusiasm, Sergeant-Major," Zarya heard, and she looked around, spotting Moira O'Deorain and Angela Ziegler walking forward at a less aggressive pace. She recognised Fareeha Amari - in an Oasis Defence Forces uniform - walking over to her transport's pilot, saluting, and exchanging more military sorts of pleasantries, and she wished, for a moment, that she was there, rather than where she was.

"It's lovely to meet you," Dr. O'Deorain continued. "I'm Moira O'Deorain, but please, call me Moira. I believe you already know my wife, Dr. Angela Ziegler."

"I do." _Or, at least, I did._ "Angela. It has been some time."

"It is lovely to see you again, Zarya," the goddess smiled widely. "But you must be Dr. Alexina," she continued to the older woman beside the Sergeant, extending a hand.

"Tatiana Alexina. It is my pleasure to meet you, Dr. Ziegler." She bowed, shortly, stiffly, indicating it clearly wasn't.

"And this is my wife's adopted daughter, Captain Lena Oxton - one of the Weapons you'll be working with later."

"Hiya!" said said Weapon, with a crisp but flashy salute, and the Russian doctor wasn't sure what to do with that, so simply nodded, before catching the 'captain' and awkwardly offering a salute of her own, despite the lack of uniform.

"Their bags have been unloaded, and the transport is ready to depart - they do not need to refuel," Fareeha said, returning to the group, a floating baggage platform following behind her, automatically. "We should clear the pad. Greetings, Sergeant-Major." She turned, a moment. "Major."

"Brigadier," Zarya saluted crisply, as did her aide.

"Have you not met my wife's other wife?" Moira asked. "Fareeha Amari, this is..."

"We've met - we are simply being military at each other," the Huntress said, allowing herself a bit of a smile. "We are all in dress uniform. Too much informality is inappropriate."

"Indeed, Brigadier," Zarya nodded, curtly, approving, as Dr. Alexina's not-quite-impassive face allowed that much as well.

_Ah_ , Angela thought, smiling at the silliness of it. "We have quarters ready for both of you. They are connected, as per our agreement, and if you'll follow us, we can get you both settled in, and proceed according to schedule."

"Good," Dr. Alexina said.

"I'm afraid it's going to be a rather dull four weeks for you, doctor," Moira said, congenially. "But I'll try to keep you entertained by showing you some of our latest research."

"I would like that," the Russian Army psychologist replied, keeping an eye on the luggage, "very much."

Two floors down, Oilliphéist watched, on displays, as greetings were exchanged. "Anything interesting?" she asked the hacker at the console.

Sombra shook her head, no. "A fleet of listening devices and cameras, nothing we didn't expect. Typical Russian spy agency crap."

"You're sure?"

"Hon, it's me. When am I wrong?"

Emily smiled, a bit, fondly. "Less often, lately, I must admit. Be sure, though."

"I will, I will! But this is easy stuff - the Russians don't trust Athena any more than they trust _us_ , so they really don't like her being around. I mean, she is, I'm sure of it, but she can't sense anything their equipment can't pick up, and, well." She smirked. "They try so hard. It's cute, really."

"Don't underestimate them. They surprised you, last time. Be _sure_ ," the second assassin said, and ruffled Sombra's hair.

"Aah! Fine! I will! But that wasn't them, that was Athena. And don't do that, this style takes time."

"I know," she said, grinning. "But it gets your attention."

"You got that from Lena, didn't you?"

"Yeh."

"Figures..." the hacker muttered. "Now go away and let me work."

Oilliphéist smiled, nodded, and stepped out of the hacker's office. _There we are_ , she thought. _Now she'll really get to it._

\-----

_It is a nice room_ , Aleksandra thought, looking around her half of the twin apartments. _Nice view_. At the moment, it was a single, large room, other than the bath, with bed and closet exposed, in one corner. Lena had showed her how to activate the hard light walls to divide it for privacy, but they'd decided to leave it all open for security reasons.

She put away the last of the small amount of luggage she'd brought, as Dr. Alexina did the same with her somewhat larger supply on the other side of the common wall between them, a common doorway by the kitchenette kept open, linking the sections. A small monitoring device of the doctor's watched her, and she was sure that Tatiana kept an eye on it at every moment.

_Needlessly large, really_ , she thought, _for how little time I will be awake here. Still, I cannot complain about this, at least. Not on the last day I'll have as..._

The door chimed, quietly, attracting her attention. From the other side of the apartment, she heard Dr. Alexina close some case, just before she appeared at the connecting doorway. «It is not yet time,» she said. «This is not part of the agreed schedule.»

«I know,» she replied. "Who is it?" she called, in English, forgetting the apartments were soundproofed, before walking over to the door, and simply looking at the display.

Hana Song.

«I know her,» she told the doctor, as the gamer rang the doorbell again. «I am... surprised, but not surprised, that she is here.»

«I do not like it, but an opportunity to see one of their own in a less controlled environment might be revealing,» the doctor said. «Let her in, if you wish. I will monitor from my section.»

Aleksandra nodded, and waited, a moment, for Tatiana to settle at her equipment, and then went to the door, and opened it to see blue-steel eyes looking up to her.

_I knew_ , she thought. _But it is different to see it in person._ "Hello, Hana."

"Hey, Zarya," Hana said, with a cautious smile. "It's been a while?"

The Russian nodded, and managed a little bit of a polite smile herself. "It has been some time. I... would you like to come in?"

Hana’s smile grew a bit wider. “I was hoping you’d ask.” She looked around as she came inside, her eyes flicking to the open door between the rooms but not commenting on it. “I wanted to talk a bit before... y’know.” She gestured at herself. “Stuff.”

"So." Zarya said, gesturing to the two couches and coffee table in what served as the living room. "Sit. I would offer you something to drink, but I do not have anything. Perhaps water?"

"You sure about that?" Hana asked.

"Yes. No eating, no drinking, until after - is standard procedure, no?"

"Not here," Hana replied, hopping over to the kitchen cabinets. "Won't be anything fresh, probably, but..." She opened the freezer door, found a small bottle of vodka and two shot glasses, and laughed. "See? There's a note here for you."

"What?" She came over, and took the handwritten note from Hana.

> Hey, Z -
> 
> Mum says it's okay to have _two_ shots, if you can't sleep. But not more! Hope I got the kind you like - memory was a little fuzzy on that, because yeah, we drank a _lot_ that night, even for us. The rest is for your babysitter. If she doesn't like this kind, tell her to write down what she likes best. I'm sure I can find it!
> 
> \-- Lena

> Aleksandra -
> 
> I mean it. Two shots. No more. And no pulp, if you use the lemons in the refrigerator. Use the strainer, and I'll see you in the morning.
> 
> \-- Dr. O'Deorain

"I think I like medicine in this country," she said, reading the note, and opening the bottle. "Vodka?"

"Oooh, yeah." Hana opened the fridge, and found the two lemons. "Lemon drop?"

"No," Zarya replied. "But I will use the ice."

Zarya found glasses, and measured herself a shot, which she poured over ice, and moved to the other side of the counter while Hana ground out pulpy lemon juice and simple syrup for herself. _Lena's memory still has this right_ , she thought, as Hana shook her drink in the shaker.

"It's funny, the way they're letting you sleep on it overnight," Hana said, decanting her own drink. "I got here, got shown to my apartment, put my head on the pillow for a fifteen minute nap and next thing I know... there I was, all new and shiny-eyed."

"We negotiated a strict timetable, along with a fleet of other conditions," the Russian said. "Honestly, I do not think my army would mind if I backed out."

The gamer nodded. "Do you want to back out? You still could."

Aleksandra’s eyes narrowed slightly as she scrutinized the younger woman. "Would you have?"

Hana looked down at her glass for a moment, and then shook her head. "No. What they did... there’s no _going_ back. But even if there was, I wouldn’t take it." She took a sip of her lemon drop. "I was upset at first, but I think they did me a favour. Getting it over with and not making me stew on it."

Aleks tilted her head slightly. "Then, are they lying to me? Will this not end the omnic threat, and save Russia?"

"No," she shook her head and smiled a little too widely. "They're not lying. The plan will work. Russia will be saved."

"Then no sacrifice is too great," the Sergeant-Major said, firmly, slamming back the rest of her shot.

"It is a sacrifice, in some ways," Hana said, gulping back a large bit of her drink. "But... not the ways you think."

Aleksandra wondered if the doctor was recording this. "You are, you think, still you?"

Hana put a hand to her chest, lightly rubbing the bunny logo on her shirt. "Yeah. Lúcio and Brigitte think so, too."

Zarya's smile grew a bit warmer. "I know. I found a way to ask."

"Good." Hana put her arm on the counter, elbow down, leaning towards the much larger woman. "Arm-wrestle me."

"What?" Zarya laughed. "You?"

D.Va locked eyes with her, face as serious as a soldier facing combat. "C'mon. Do it. Tank to tank. I dare you."

She put her hand up to compare it to Hana’s, massive, almost a bear’s paw compared to a rabbit’s. "I would break you!" 

"Didn't they show you the video? Tell you what I can do?"

"Of course they did, but that was in your MEKA."

Hana’s voice was firm and full of certainty. "Arm. Wrestle. Me. Right. Now."

Zarya snorted indulgently. "Fine. Is your fingers, _zaichik._ " She put her elbow on the table, and Hana's hand in her own. "You count."

"You're not in the right position."

Zarya shrugged, and shifted into proper arm-wrestling stance. Once there, Hana counted. "Three... two... one," and slammed Zarya's hand down, hard, onto the counter, as the larger woman shouted in shock.

"Is this easy mode?" Hana smirked, and put her hand back into start position. "Now this time, take me seriously."

"You have _never_ been that strong," Zarya said, rubbing her wrist. "And you are still tiny! How?!"

"C'mon. For real."

"You are on!"

The two women clenched arms and struggled, Hana with far greater initial speed, but far less leverage, still pushing Zarya's hand down a third, almost halfway to the countertop, grinning madly, as Zarya pushed, and pushed, pulling in all her reserves, taking her hand back up to top, and over, against Hana, who pulled in her own reserves, holding even with her for five, ten, twelve seconds before falling, slowly, slowly, down, resisting at every centimetre, before Zarya finally pushed her hand against the countertop.

"Better," Hana said, shaking out her hand, just for a moment. "I'm ready to go again right now. How 'bout you?"

Zarya rubbed her arm, feeling the exertion, not knowing what to think, mystified by the combination of small size and great power. "No," she admitted. "That took tremendous effort. I would need a few minutes."

"That's what they could do with _me_ ," the Korean said, toasting with the remains of her drink. "Now imagine what they can do with _you_."

"I said, I saw the video you shot in the dome," the Russian said. "I did not need convincing of _that_." _Though it was quite impressive_ , she admitted to herself. "Will it just... happen, then? Will I not need to _work?_ "

Hana nodded, understanding. "I still lift, Zarya. I can just lift a lot more. It'll be easier for you to do more, too - _lots_ more. If you think you're strong now... fff. After this? It'll be crazy."

She poured herself a second lemon drop. "But work never goes away. I lift. I train, still. If they hadn't brought you in, I'd've been the one doing your job. And Lena and her wives are out there training every day. Work makes _everyone_ better - even us. But I was serious that it comes at a cost."

Aleksandra considered another shot, then put the glass down. After, perhaps. “Tell me.”

Hana took another sip off her drink before she put the glass back on the counter. “What do you see when you look at me?” 

“I see you, Hana. A soldier. A girl.” 

Hana shook her head. “Try again.” She stood up and took a short circuit around the room. “ _Look_ at me.”

She tried to focus on Hana, as she’d been asked. “...you move like them. Faster. Smoother.” 

“Better,” Hana agreed. “What else?” 

“The eyes…”

“Duh.”

“Yes, color is different. But more than that... you look as if you are looking _through_ me, not at me.” 

Hana nodded and sat down beside her friend, on her side of the counter, then slammed her remaining shot home, coughing a bit at the vodka’s bite beneath the lemon and sugar. 

“People are going to see _you_ like that. People are going to know you’re not like them any more, just by the way you walk down the street. People..." Her eyes darted to the floor, and back up. "...don’t leave you alone. Not really. They know you’re _different_ , and most people either get scared or they get... freaky. It's better here than in Korea, they're more used to us, but...” She turned the glass in her fingers, looking at the last drops of alcohol that clung to the sides. “ _That’s_ what this costs, Zee. That’s why I was serious about warning you that you can’t go back.”

“Brigitte, and Lucio. Do you think they are scared of you now?”

“...sometimes.” Hana’s voice dropped until it was barely above a whisper. “I love them. I know they love me. But... sometimes, I think. And maybe they should be.”

Aleksandra poured her second shot. “But you would still do it again.”

“Knowing what I know... knowing what I _did_... knowing I gave so many people a future again?” Hana put the glass down, and met her eyes again. “Yeah. Every time.”

"You were holding back, a minute ago, weren't you."

"No. But... kinda."

"Your MEKA moves like _you_ , now. It did not, always."

"Yeah," she nodded, just a bit of fondness in her tone.

"That is how, then?"

Hana nodded, once, a smirk tugging at her lips. "I didn't think you wanted to arm-wrestle me in full armour. Or to have a MEKA in your kitchen."

Zarya nodded. "Not... yet. After, though - I think I will demand a rematch. Holding _nothing_ back."

Hana smiled broadly, delighted, laughing. "Oh - you're _definitely_ on."


	3. Garnet-Eyed Zarya

"The agreement stipulates NO conditioning! None!"

The major stood her ground, arms crossed, scowling, and Dr. O'Deorain scowled right back at her. "Was it conditioning when your parents taught you to speak, doctor? When they helped you to walk?"

"That is not the same. Psychological conditioning for _any_ reason is..."

"None of this is truly psychological, it is _all_ necessary for basic functioning! Without it, she will injure herself every time she moves - if she does not break everything around her!"

"She can re-learn, once awake."

"Do you want to spend three _years_ watching her injure herself and others around her as she learns? She would have to re-learn _everything_ about how her own body works, and god forbid she forgot for a moment and rubbed her eyes."

"What would..."

"We'd probably have to grow her new ones." She shook her head. "Arguing about this is nonsensical. We would never have agreed to improve her, if..."

Dr. Ziegler glided in from the hallway, having heard the shouting all the way down from her desk. "I hear that we have a disagreement?"

"This... doctor... insists that our agreement against psychological alterations covers the basic functionality set."

" _No_ conditioning," insisted the psychologist. "Some of this is _most definitely_ psychological."

"...ah," Dr. Ziegler said, quietly. "I suppose... in a way... you are not entirely wrong. But it genuinely is necessary for her to be able to function. We all underwent it. It will not change her, or her loyalties - it is merely _necessary_."

"You have been through this?"

"Every one of us has." She thought, for a moment. "I... think I can give you a convincing demonstration, if you are amenable to that." She turned to Moira. "Remember the cup test, with Hana? The one we were able to try, after Dr. Ngcobo's improvements to nerve extremities? What if we repeated it? Before any adjustments."

"Where we measured her skin sensitivity and... _ah_." She considered the test, and small changes to it. "I see how that could be an effective demonstration, yes. With adequate amounts of muscle relaxant, it should be safe enough."

"I believe," Dr. Ziegler said, turning back to the Russian representative, "we can demonstrate why this is necessary. For _her_ safety, not just others. If you are willing, of course."

"You will have a difficult time changing my mind," Dr. Alexina insisted. "But - that is fair."

"We'll have to set up, and clear some equipment - I'll see to it," Moira said, touching Angela's arm, briefly. "It's too bad Michael's presenting a paper this weekend, he'd enjoy this. See if you have more luck explaining it to her than I had."

Half an hour later, the three doctors watched from behind an observation wall as Aleksandra - in a large set of restraints, still deeply sedated - stirred, the tiniest bit, in her hospital bed, in her private room. In front of her, on a mobile table, sat a grey cup, made of stainless steel.

"Hello, Aleksandra," Moira said, gently, walking over to the foot of the bed. "Everything is fine, and going very well. Are you comfortable?"

"nnnn," she managed, her head nodding up and down, the slightest bit.

"Can you open your eyes? There is a cup in front of you, on a shelf. Do you see it?"

The Sergeant-Major's eyes opened, barely, and she nodded, with another, quiet "nnn."

"It's very delicate, and thin, like paper. Can you - _very_ slowly, _very_ carefully - pick it up for me, by the rim?"

Zarya's right arm shot to the cup, like lightning, throwing it across the room, as Moira repeated, " _Very_ slowly, dear. As slowly as you can. Relax your arm, let me put the cup back."

She glanced at Dr. Alexina, who had jumped at Zarya's speed, and the speed at which the steel cup had flown, before retrieving the cup, and putting it back on its small platform, before backing away.

"Still with me, Aleksandra?" prompted another nod, and another "nnn."

"As slowly and gently as you possibly can, dear. Pick the cup up, by the rim. Like the most delicate flower."

Zarya's arm moved quickly to the cup. She fumbled for the rim, got it on the first try, and pinched it closed, a single motion, crushing it. "aaaan!" she managed, a sound of dismay, as Dr. Alexina gasped.

"That's fine, dear - we have another one. Everything is fine. Relax your arm, and let's try again."

She put another cup on the table - this one, a magnesium-based nanocomposite, and stronger.

"Do you see this one?"

"Nnnnn," nodded the barely-semi-conscious Zarya.

"As slowly as you can imagine, as delicately as you can imagine, pick it up. Like a flower, dear."

Her arm moved like a water jet, as she flailed for the cup, sending it flying again. Moira picked the cup out of the hole it had made in a cabinet, and replaced it, trying again, and then a third time, trying again, when Zarya managed to grasp the cup, and crumpled it into a ball, like tinfoil, dismayed again.

"Sssh, sssh, sssh, dear, it's fine, it's not you, you did very well," she said, keying in changes to the sedation protocol, putting her back under. "Go back to sleep, dear. Everything is just fine, and you are proceeding _very_ well."

"Do you understand now?" Angela asked the major.

"That is with muscle _relaxants_?"

"Strong ones," Moira said, stepping back from the treatment bed, standing next to her wife.

_Mother of God. What will she be like, after?_ Dr. Alexina just stared at her charge. "I... see. Most impressive."

"And most uncontrollable, if we do not proceed as we'd planned."

The Russian Army medical officer nodded, curtly, once, frowning. _I will create the most complete battery of psychological testing I have ever built, and hope for the best_ , she thought. _But there really is no choice, is there?_ "Very well. I do not like it, but it is clear that you must proceed."

"Thank you," Dr. O'Deorain replied, with a determined smile.

"I've reset the sequence," Dr. Ziegler said, also smiling. "Whenever you're ready, dear?"

"Of course," Moira said, and her smile relaxed into something genuine.

\-----

"I'm _always_ here for them," Lena frowned, snapping at the major.

"She's _my_ friend, and I'm gonna be here too," demanded Hana, glaring at the major who did not want either of them there at all, and who, for that matter, wished she herself had never come here, either.

_They are so... **unnerving**_ , Tatiana thought. _Particularly the teleporter and her wives. Even more so, when they get something set into their minds._

"Is it true, Dr. O'Deorain?" she asked, almost relieved as the geneticist returned to the room. "Do you always allow Ms. -”

“ _Captain._ ”

“...Captain Oxton to be here while your patients sleep?"

"In final recovery phase?" she asked. "Yes. Along with any other available friends and loved ones."

Dr. Ngcobo walked in from the hallway, carrying a padd full of test results, bemused at the fuss. "I personally found it rather reassuring." He shrugged. "Doctor, shall we go over these results?"

Moira nodded her thanks. "Dr. Alexina, I appreciate your concern, but we are almost finished here, and we do, in fact, know what we are doing." She glanced to the Weapon and the MEKA, and then back to the Russian representative. "They both stay." Taking Dr. Ngcobo's arm, she said, "Doctor, shall we?"

"Absolutely," he said, as they walked together outside the noisy room.

"Damn right we stay," Hana muttered.

"Thanks, mum!" Lena called out the door. «C'mon, grams,» she said, turning to the Russian doctor. «We're not as bad as all _that_ , are we?»

The major blinked. «I did not know you spoke Russian at all, much less so well.»

Lena grinned and sang a snippet from a traditional Russian lullaby she'd picked up while she'd picked up the language. «Didn't, before. But with Zarya back, and with the action coming up, learning only seemed polite. And logistically sound, of course - be a right mess t'need a translator on the front lines.»

«You've just... become fluent, in Russian. In a month.»

«Easier than Mandarin by a fair sight,» she said, with a cocky grin.

«And your... counterparts?»

«'Course, luv. We're all ready.»

«Me too,» Hana said, a moment later. «In case, you know, something comes up.»

The major shook her head, overwhelmed, and not for the first time. _I do not like this_ , she thought, also not for the first time. _I think we have made a terrible mistake._ She looked back up at her charge, the woman she admired, a true Hero of Russia, as much as anyone else in modern times. _I... God, I hope you can save us._

\-----

"Hey - Hana!" Lena whispered, nudging her friend. "I think she moved."

"Yeah, I think I felt it," she said, looking up from her manga, pausing her music, pulling out her earbuds.

"Should we wake Dr. Grumpy?"

"Seriously?"

Lena grinned, before looking back to Aleksandra. "You comin' together in there, Z?" She'd picked up Hana's nickname for her, pronounced the American way, _zee_. "There's no rush. Rest. Take all the time y'need."

Hana took one of Zarya's hands in her own, gasped a little, _still_ surprised, just a bit, at every new contact, and nodded, excitedly. "She's there," she whispered.

Lena took the Russian's other hand, and felt it too, and nodded back, and waited, quietly, as a half hour passed, Aleksandra moving, just a little, every few minutes, until she spoke.

«I had a dream... about crushing flowers,» Zarya said, her voice quiet, a little confusion in it.

"I know," Hana said, smiling, as Lena tabbed her comms, letting Angela, Moira, and Michael know Zarya was awake. "I had the same dream."

"Hana? You are... here? And... Lena?"

"Nobody should wake up alone. Someone should always be here," the teleporter said, quietly. "And I like watchin' people be reborn. It's 3:50. Here, I'm going to angle you up" - she triggered the head elevation switch on the bed - "and I've got a spray bottle, let's get you some water." She placed the nozzle to Aleksandra's mouth, letting her wet her tongue, and gums, and the strongest woman in the world sighed, shaking a little, with how good it felt, and tasted.

"How do you feel?" she asked, when Zarya'd had her fill.

"I feel..." she said, garnet eyes open, at last, and bright, "...as though I could pick up a _mountain_ , and throw it at the _moon_."

Hana laughed, and squeezed Zarya's hand tightly. "I don't have a mountain for you - but..." She reached over to the mobile table, and picked up a small, delicate vase, with a small, intricate, delicate, live, flower. "I do have this."

"It is beautiful," she whispered, admiring details she could never have noticed, before. "But, I... I will crush it," Aleksandra said, surprised at her own nervousness.

"No, you won't," Hana promised. "I felt the same way, and I didn't either. Go ahead."

Zarya reached out, so carefully, so very, very slowly, and gently, with a feather's touch, lifted up the vase with one hand, and felt the pedals of the flower with the other, so gently, and brought it to her face, and smelled it, drinking in its scent, and shook with relief, tears at the edges of her eyes. "It's... so beautiful."

"So're you, luv," whispered Lena as Dr. Alexina stirred in the visitor's bed. "So're you."


	4. Do you trust her?

“So - figured out what your new max is yet?”

Zarya looked over from where she’d been performing pre-exhaustion exercises and shook her head at Hana, who had started performing warm up stretches next to one of the specially reinforced cable machines. “Not yet. Was asked not to break anything unless absolutely necessary.”

As it was, the bar for her weights was some kind of special material. She’d tried to listen to the explanation when the doctors were showing her which machines and equipment could or could not be used, but she’d gotten lost somewhere around the phrase ‘molecularly aligned monocoque’ before simply trying to note what was and was not safe. 

“Hah. Nice.” Hana finished her initial stretches and had unzipped the warmup jacket she’d worn in, revealing a too-large tank top with the words “SLEEVES ARE BULLSHIT” printed across the chest.

“I like it,” Aleksandra commented. “From girlfriend?” 

Hana gave a shy little smile as she walked up to one of the cable machines and set the weight for her first exercise. 240 kilos. Aleksandra assumed there was gear reduction involved. “Yeah. Stole it... y’know. Before.” 

“Is good sentiment,” she observed solemnly as she began hammer presses, working her newly enhanced shoulder muscles. “Sleeves can bind arms. Restrict motion of shoulders. Bad for form, worse for workout.” She pushed the paired dumbbells up again, then looked over to Hana with a conspiratorial grin and a rakish wink. “Besides - bare arms are very cute.”

“She’s got you there, _conejita._ ” 

A ripple of the air and a thrum of energy announced Sombra’s decloaking, but somehow, Aleksandra did not feel quite the anger or disgust for the woman she’d had before their meeting in Mexico. 

She still wasn’t certain _what_ she felt towards her, but Zarya knew she no longer hated her. Not after learning that the situation between her and Volskaya was far more complex than she’d been lead to believe. 

“Oh my _god_ ,” Hana muttered as her cheeks burned red, and not from the exertion of the weights. “You are such a drama queen." She finished her first rep of 25, and started counting a 30-second break. "You, Moira, Danielle, Reaper - was Talon secretly just all the evil theatre nerds?”

Sombra refused to dignify that with an answer, and focused on Zarya instead. “So, how do you like the new you?”

Aleksandra brought the weights back against her chest, then pressed up again. “I had been wondering how long you could resist the urge to meddle.”

Sombra pouted as she took off her coat, revealing she was wearing workout clothes beneath as well. “I do not -”

“Yeah,” Hana interrupted, “you do. Meddling is, like, your _entire thing._ ”

Sombra stuck out her tongue for a moment before both of them began to laugh, and Aleksandra found herself joining in, a genuine feeling of mirth rolling through her as she put her weights aside and sat up on the bench. _If you are not on the other side, she is... easy to like. I did not expect that._

“I am... good,” she finally said after wiping what little sweat she had worked up away from her forehead with a towel. “It is not as strange as I thought it might be.” 

Sombra nodded, her shining eyes full of understanding. “Lena likes to say you’re still _you_ , and it’s true, as far as that goes... but you’re more, too. I think you both get that now.” 

Hana nodded as she continued her shoulder pulls. “I’m... getting it. I’m doing better with it than I was.”

“Yes,” Aleksandra agreed. “But why are you _here?_ ”

Sombra’s smile turned to that knowing little grin again. “You think I was born with legs like these? Gotta keep my girlish figure, _Osa._ ”

That got a snort from Aleksandra as she shifted to doing bicep curls. “You know what I mean, _Olivia._ ”

“Oooo, ouch,” Hana observed, and Zarya didn’t miss the way Sombra winced - dramatically, as seemed only appropriate - at the use of her given name.

“Okay, okay,” Sombra said more seriously. “I do need to get my workout in. But the _real_ reason is we’re going to be working together, this time. If that’s going to happen, you need to trust me - or at least trust that I’m not going to get us both killed.” She shrugged as she walked over to the treadmill and started to loosen up. “Figured this was a good way to start.”

_It is not so bad_ , Aleksandra admitted to herself. _I can get used to her, like this._

“I am not sure _anyone_ trusts you,” she observed as she continued to work, “but... yes. We must work together to succeed. Unity is strength.”

“We trust her more than you might think,” Hana countered, finishing another rep. “I wasn’t here when she showed the others what had been going on, but... she’s been straight with me.” She reached for her water bottle, flashing Sombra a little grin. “I mean, you _do_ screw with us."

"Of course!"

"But far as I can tell it’s been for the right reasons.”

“Truly? All of you?” Aleksandra couldn’t help her slight disbelief. 

“ _All_ of us,” Hana said firmly. “Ask Fareeha - or Moira.”

Zarya grunted as she began another set of reps. “Perhaps I shall.”

Any further discussion on that topic was interrupted by the sound of the doors opening to admit another group to the gymnasium.

"We're gonna need a bigger weights room!" Lena said, happily, bouncing in with her wives in tow behind her. "Guess we’ll start with the gymnastics then, luvs?"

"I prefer that, regardless," Danielle replied, throwing herself ceilingward with her chain, as Emily followed with hers and Lena teleported after them both.

_Bars and handholds on the ceiling and walls_ , Zarya had noticed, earlier. _Now I know why._ "Lena!" She called as she gestured to Sombra’s back. "Do you actually trust this person?"

"She's a naughty one - have to watch her!" Emily called, from above. Zarya looked up and saw her grinning widely as she hung upside down by her knees.

Lena giggled, glancing briefly up and over, before teleporting back down to the floor as the blue assassins set up their workout routine overhead, placing moving bars, ropes, and the occasional weight. "Yeh. I do," she replied, once finally on the ground again. "I've been pretty mad at her a few times, but... it works out."

Aleksandra raised an eyebrow. "You did _not_ like her, before."

"Aw, seriously? You're so mean!" Sombra interjected without slowing her pace.

Lena thought about it, and nodded, remembering, eventually. "I was pretty mad she stole the translocator tech. But..."

"I improved it a lot, thank you!" the hacker said from her treadmill.

Lena rolled her eyes, but there was fondness in the way she shook her head. " _So_ annoying. But... yeah. We've all come to like each other, but s'funny... I think the trust part came first. That's how it worked with Emily, too, come t'think of it - and you can see how well that's worked out," she said, smiling broadly, looking back, for a moment, up at her younger wife. "Maybe it's 'cause we've all been Changed." She shrugged. "Never really dug into it, I guess."

_She was Changed before she - or anyone else - even knew_ , Aleksandra admitted to herself as she let Lena return to her exercises. _That, too, is worth thinking about._

\-----

Dr. Alexina looked over the results of her examinations, the answers, the comparisons of the answers, the baselines, the deviations from baseline, the analysis, the deeper analysis that had required enough computational time back in St. Petersburg to notice, and thought deeply about it all.

The Sergeant-Major was, predictably, in outstanding health, and outstanding - impossibly good - physical condition, now. All as promised, all as planned. She wasn't sure what to think about Zaryanova's hair being _naturally_ pink now - or, more correctly, growing that colour on its own - but that wasn't a matter for her to consider. That was, at most, a matter for her commanding Lieutenant, at the front - assuming she made it past this mad suicide run of a mission. A short enough buzz cut and no one would ever see it.

The psychological analysis, on the other hand...

On the surface level, nothing had changed. Digging down deeper, still, nothing had changed, at least, nothing outside margin of error. Psychiatry - O'Deorain's supposed advances aside - was still nothing like an exact science, an so much of the human mind, at the lowest levels, still remained so much of a mystery. And despite her own protests, what they did as _conditioning_ for her new physical capabilities really did only go so far, and would save months - if not years - of injurious, possibly fatal, retraining.

Aleksandra had not said one disconcerting thing. Sergeant Zaryanova, by every test, remained as loyal to duty, responsibility, and Russia, as ever.

And yet.

There were tests she could not repeat against a baseline, with Aleksandra's new nervous system. That left a hole, a missing piece in the puzzle, and she did not like missing pieces in the puzzle.

The way the sergeant moved was now strange, even if expected. The way she looked at her, also strange. The way her garnet eyes moved, strange, and disquieting. Zaryanova had made note of it herself, upon landing, speaking about the doctors. She'd mentioned it, about her friend from Overwatch, Lena Oxton, and about her other friend, the Korean MEKA pilot, Lieutenant Song, the night before she went under, after the girl had left.

She had not mentioned it once, since. She no longer seemed even to notice.

Her reactions to the Oasis agents in general were a little... too... friendly. Particularly to the infamous Sombra, the notorious hacker. Yes, they needed to be able to work together. Yes, they had a mission to train for, together, and the distrust needed to be bridged, for the mission to have any chance. But confidence and _fondness_ \- those are entirely different matters, and the latter seemed to be growing.

She'd always been physical, but not touchy-feely physical. Now, she was, and the doctor did not think it was only her new physiology at work. Or, perhaps, that was it, exactly. She could not know. Something about the Sergeant had become... a little frightening. A little difficult to trust.

_She is essentially unchanged, phychologically_ , she typed, in her report to her commanding officer, _at least, so far. But my concerns remain._

_As she trains with the other 'upgraded' agents, she becomes disproportionately more fond of them, over time. It is unlikely for a military psychologist to criticise feelings of unit cohesion, particularly in a unit being so carefully trained for such a dangerous endeavour, but in this case, I fear I must._

_She is still with us, for now. But I fear she may not be forever, or necessarily even for very long. Each day, it feels as though she is nudged, just a little bit, into an_ \- she paused, for a moment, considering how to put it - _undue attachment to the Oasis agents who have been similarly enhanced._

_It is therefore my opinion that this mission can and should proceed, but I strongly recommend that her contact with others similarly 'upgraded' be minimised as much as possible. I further recommend executing the operation as quickly as can be arranged - while she is still fully loyal to our side._

\-----

“I have good news for you,” Fareeha said as she poured a steaming cup of tea for herself, and one for Aleksandra. “Emily’s nearly done reinforcing and calibrating your particle cannon. You should be able to start training with it the day after tomorrow.”

Zarya took a moment to savor the smell of the tea before she took a sip. The mint and chamomile in the herbal blend wasn’t as satisfying as a good black tea, but it was pleasant enough. “That is good,” she said. “I must be ready for the mission, yes?” 

Fareeha smiled as she put her mug back down on her desk. “I have no doubt you will be, but, 'visualise, then execute' only takes you far. _Train,_ then execute, takes you further.”

The sergeant snorted her acknowledgement, and sipped her tea. "Of course. But..."

Fareeha gave her a discerning look, eyebrow raised. “Are you still concerned about working with Sombra? Lena told me you'd had issues, in the past.”

“That is part of why I am here,” Aleksandra admitted. “Hana said she did something to help you?”

“Yes,” Fareeha said as she straightened in her seat. “Yes, that’s very much true. At great personal risk, she helped us - all of us - learn what had really happened, after the disaster in London, and... helped us decide what had to be done afterwards.” She picked up her tea again and looked into the mug, her voice softening. “It wasn’t easy, for her, or for any of us. But it _was_ important.”

“And you trust her?”

Fareeha considered that a moment before she spoke again. “I would say I trust Sombra... to do what she believes is right.” Her smile turned a bit sardonic. “Though I will admit that can still be a headache for everyone else around her.”

Aleksandra laughed softly. “ _That_ I am not surprised to hear.” 

Fareeha laughed with her, but grew serious again. “She is, frankly, a pain in the ass. But I do believe her heart is in the right place. She wants this mission to succeed as much as anyone - especially if we can bring the Omnium’s AI out intact.”

She frowned at the last bit. Putting her mug down, she met Fareeha’s opal eyes with her garnet ones. “This matters?” 

“Of course it does.” Fareeha leaned forward, sincerity and intensity in her eyes. “Removing the AI, regardless, will save Russia. But bringing the AI out alive? Becoming able, with time, to _understand_ it? To make _peace_ with it?"

She reached forward, and took Zarya's hand.

" _That_ just might be what saves the world.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the thirtieth instalment of _Of Gods and Monsters: The Arc of Ascension_. To follow this story, [subscribe to the series via this link](https://archiveofourown.org/series/972024), rather than to the individual works.


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